Emmanuel Macron a chastened and greatly weakened leader
On the night in April when Emmanuel Macron won his re-election victory, everyone noticed the strange, subdued atmosphere that seemed to surround him.
No flashing smiles, no pumping speech of hope. It was as if he already knew that celebration would be misplaced.
Two months later, we can see that his famous political instincts were once again on the money.
He was right to be cautious. That victory was indeed a high point, but right away he saw its depressing, implicit message - that from high points there is only one way to go, and that is down.
The results of Sunday's legislative election confirm that this second term will be a different beast from the first, with Mr Macron cutting the figure of a chastened and greatly weakened leader.
Instead of being able to rely on (and basically therefore ignore) a compliant legislature, the president now faces a National Assembly which cannot guarantee the passage of his reforms.
